Dirty Little Secret
by krissyg927
Summary: Daryl is new in town, he meets Carol at a friends house, he knows she's married, but she's the one. AU no ZA. Caryl.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: This is a figment of my over active imagination. I like to put them in all kinds of situations. It doesn't necessarily mean I agree with their behavior. But some things wont stop banging on my brain to get out. I do not Own The Walking Dead, but I wish I did.**

"Carol, Right. "He said as she turned to face him. His voice soft and hypnotizing. "Lori's friend."

She turned and saw the handsome man with the beautiful blue eyes that matched the voice. She knew him, but she couldn't believe he had remembered her. They had not spent any time together, but yet he sought her out to say hello today.

They met at a barbeque of all things on Memorial Day. He was an old friend of Rick's, from college. Rick was her best friend Lori's husband. She and Lori worked together at the local grammar school, teachers off for the summer, and Lori had been asking her to come visit for a long time. She wouldn't even had been there but Ed was away on business, so she and Sophia went. A welcome change from their life of imprisonment. It had been a wonderful day for them. Her friends were a few years younger than her, but still they were close. Sophia and Carl knew each other from school and played well together. It had been a great day.

His name was Daryl they didn't speak much that day, just hello, nice to meet you. She had been busy playing with Sophia and Carl and cooing over Judith.

But that following Friday he remembered her when they literally bumped carts at the grocery store. She was struck again at how good looking he was.

She didn't usually go for blondes, Ed had dark hair, but then, that hadn't gotten her far at all. Did it.

She noticed this man alright, he was all shoulders and arms even in the button down shirt he had on now, she could see that. But not like a man who worked out, more like a man who worked with his hands for a living.

Her own husband went to the gym, a gym rat. She found Ed disgusting with his over pumped up body. He felt the same about her, so they were even.

She forgot if he had said what he did for a living, mechanic? Maybe. She knew he had just moved here, Lori had told her he was divorced, no kids. He was starting a new job in town.

She nodded.

"Daryl right?" She remembered his name, but she wasn't letting him know that.

He nodded, his eyes going over her slowly and openly. She felt her cheeks getting warm he was so blatant about it. He had just checked her out head to toe.

"Where's your little girl." He asked looking around, as if Carol would lose Sophia in a grocery store. That child was her whole life, her reason for living, literally. If she was with Carol she would have been right there, but he didn't know that, he didn't know her life.

"Sleepover." She answered.

"And you're shopping on a Friday night?" He laughed, a musical merry laugh.

"My exciting life." She raised her eyebrows and motioned towards his cart. "So are you."

"My exciting life." He said grinning at her. "You know I'm new in town don't know any of the hot spots yet, nowhere to go, no one to go with. Plus I needed stuff.'"

She laughed too, which was a rarity for her, she rarely had anything to laugh about. It felt good though.

"So a guy has to do what a guy has to do right?" He said.

"Even on a Friday night." She smiled and he noticed her smile lit up her whole face. He noticed her blue eyes also, so much so that he couldn't look away. She was so pretty, long Auburn hair, blue eyes, nice shape, he thought to himself. Just his type. He'd like to get to know her better, but he knew she was married. They were silent for a beat.

Then he decided fuck it, you never got anywhere if you didn't ask.

"It was nice talking to you." She began to turn to leave, but her put his hand on her arm gently, so gently something told him she needed a soft touch.

"Wait Carol, if your little girl is busy tonight can I take you to dinner?" He asked.

"Um, Daryl." She looked up at him. "I'm married." She was sure he knew that, she had her rings on. She wasn't allowed to take them off.

"I know." He leaned in close to her and whispered his voice low and dark." I don't care."


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Thank you to everyone who followed, favorited and reviewed, it makes my day. Thank you for taking a chance on such a different type of fiction. If you also read 23, you know I just like to shake it up a little. It's just me and my crazy imagination.**

 **If you have read any of my other things you also know I always fade to black before the good stuff. I didn't really think I could get away with that here. This is a different kind of story.**

 **With that being said, be gentle with me guys, it's my first time. :)**

She couldn't help it.

That's what she told herself as she stood at the big picture window in his bedroom, looking out at the forest behind his house. She was _that_ person now. She was in another man's bedroom in her underwear and a t shirt that didn't belong to her.

She wasn't sorry, not at all. Her husband was not faithful, hadn't been for a long time, she didn't care as long as he left her alone. He was more than happy to, she was not worth the time. She was ugly and fat in his opinion, and he liked them young. She had been young when they got married, ten years younger than him.

She had aged out apparently.

She had never thought this would happen to her. She finally found what she was looking for all her life and it was out of her reach. When he touched her, the current that was between them was not like any feeling she had ever known. They had both felt it, this was life altering.

He had talked her into dinner with him, and really she didn't need much convincing. She didn't think he had any trouble finding a date, and at one point during dinner she had asked exactly that.

 _Why don't you want to take out someone your own age, Daryl?_

 _I just divorced someone my own age, how old you think I am anyway?_

 _I know Rick is 27, do you know how old I am? I'm 36._

He never batted an eye. He simply said that he didn't care and found her beautiful. That's what made up her mind, if it hadn't been before that. Ed always said she was old and used up, full of stretch marks and cellulite. But this man, this _younger man_ , looked at her like she was the greatest thing on earth. It was intoxicating.

He took her to a restaurant out of their town, but one she had wanted to try. Ed didn't want to spring for dinner there, not for her anyway. She was sure he had taken his latest secretary though. So fuck Ed and his rules for once. Daryl hardly knew her and he took her there.

He was a stranger and he took her there, because she was worth it to him.

Dinner consisted of wonderful food, wine and outright flirting beyond anything she had ever done before. He was not shy about anything, it was refreshing actually, and someone made her feel like a woman, it had been a long time.

They had taken one car, hers left behind at his house. He had planned it that way she was sure, so she would come back to his house and she wasn't sorry.

After dinner they declined dessert and took it with them to go, because they were full and couldn't possibly fit the Tiramisu as well.

 _That cake was now laying in the front hall of his house squashed into the floor._

Because almost before he had shut the door he was on her. He walked her backwards into the opposite wall and into another door, a closet maybe, and dove in for a kiss that made her drop the cake right on the floor. His hands were over her head and he was kissing her like she had never been kissed before. She felt him grind his hips against her and let out a sound that she had never heard come from her lips.

It was the sound of longing, of want.

He stepped back for a second and looked at her. "You okay? This alright?"

She nodded and he went in for another kiss and this time he picked her up. His hands around her thighs.

"Wrap your legs around me." He said and she did, realizing she had worn a skirt and now she felt his dick against her, they weren't making it past the hall way and when he moved the door behind her felt like it was going to bust into pieces.

"Yeah." He growled into her neck. "That's nice."

All the hairs on the back of her neck stood up and he pulled her closer.

His hands were all over her, in places only her own hands had been for a long time. He moved his hand to hold her up and against the door and his other snaked up her side to her breast and she moaned again.

"Fuck, Carol, you are so fucking beautiful." He said against her lips, _he liked what he saw and that blew her away._

His lips were all over her neck and collar bone, biting and sucking softly, he knew not to leave marks on her. Then she felt his fingers right where she wanted him, her head went backwards against the door as she closed her eyes. By the time he got her underwear ripped off her and his fingers on her and inside her, she came, immediately, screaming against his hand. Her face against his cheek.

Carol was not a screamer, not before tonight.

"Goddamnit... sweetheart. " He said as he pulled her closer, running his fingers through her hair, over her forehead, while she caught her breath.

"I'm sorry." She said, her breath coming out in little puffs. She was embarrassed that he hardly touched her and that happened. It had been so long.

"What the fuck for? That was fuckin hot." He said kissing her again.

Ed had always said she was frigid. A frigid bitch actually.

Now she was pulling on Daryl's belt buckle like a crazy woman. Frigid indeed. If she didn't get him inside her right now she was going to explode.

Finally, finally she got him unbuckled and pulled his jeans down. He was right against her, right there and he stopped and looked at her.

"Last chance to back out." He grinned at her, silently hoping she wouldn't back out, but prepared to stop if she said no.

She didn't answer him she just looked into his eyes, moved against him and pulled him inside her. With every motion they made the door banged against the molding and neither of them noticed.

She had known that was going to happen, not against the door, standing up exactly, but she knew it was going to. Probably from the minute she agreed to dinner, she knew. They played the game like it wasn't leading up to this, but they both knew. It was happening.

 _She wasn't sorry._

 _/_

 _The_ y made it back to his bedroom eventually and this time was slower, but just as toe curling. They fell asleep holding each other like they had done it a million times before and he kissed the top of her head, and pulled her close up against him. She wanted to cry, there was something there and she couldn't have it.

The timing was wrong. She met him at the wrong time.

 _She felt a connection and she was sure he felt it too._

 _He said she was beautiful and he was the first person to ever say that to her._

 _She was sure of what she saw in his eyes and she couldn't have it._

/

"Hey, come back to bed." He said.

She turned from the window and her thoughts and he was sitting up, she walked over to him and sat down on the bed.

"I didn't mean to wake you."

"Thought you left, reached over and you were gone." He said. And she was so touched that he said that, it made what was coming so much harder.

"I have to go."

"No, its 3 am, you aren't leaving in the middle of the night, I'm not that guy." He said.

"I know, but he calls, on the house phone at seven every morning, I have to…"

"Sounds like a peach, I'll set an alarm, come on." He held up his hand to her and she took it, climbing back into bed with him. He put his arms around her and pulled her close against him. She couldn't really sleep but that was ok, he felt good against her. She wanted to stay awake, and commit this all to her memory. Because in the morning it would be over.

/

About two hours later they woke back up and sat up, he lit a cigarette and inhaled deeply. He looked over at her and she smiled shyly, not knowing why exactly. You didn't need to be shy with someone you fucked up against a wall, did you? Surly the rules of society had something in place for that.

"Will you be able to find your way back?" He said.

She nodded, dreading what she was going to say to him, and he must have known, seen it on her face, because he said it.

"I'm not gonna see you again, am I?" He said, his eyes soft like it actually mattered to him, like she was breaking his heart.

She shook her head no. She hated this, hated Ed. Ed and his cheating and controlling ways were going to rip away from her something so good it made her heart ache.

She was going to stay with him until Sophia was sixteen, she had it all worked out in her head. She had to, there was no choice. That way if Sophia, didn't want to do visitation, which was very likely. Sophia could tell the judge, she would be of age, and they would not allow it.

She did not want Ed to ever have Sophia alone, it could never, ever happen. She didn't trust him, not since she caught him looking at her in a funny way when she started to get older, more developed. She never left them alone and, so she was staying for another two years.

"If it makes any difference to you, I wanted to see you again." He said. "But I knew it might be like that. Knew it from the start."

"It's. Daryl, it's so complicated." She looked down at her hands.

"It's ok, I understand, don't worry, we ever run into each other at Rick's or anywhere, I won't…."

"I'm not sorry." She said, "I'm not sorry this happened and I want you to know that. "She said and he nodded.

"Neither am I." He said. "Not sorry at all."

She smiled, looking at his face, mentally memorizing it for later, and for when she was lonely. She was lonely often and he would be a wonderful memory.

"Give me your cellphone." He said and she looked horrified.

"What?" She asked.

"I'm gonna put my number in there, in case you change your mind." He said, with the cigarette hanging out of his mouth.

She shook her head almost off her shoulders and he noticed that. Was she afraid of something he wondered?

"Relax, Imma put it as a second number for Lori, on her contact info, you know, in case anyone checks your phone." He said putting the cigarette out. "I wanna know you have my number."

She reached into her purse on the side of the bed and handed it to him.

"I won't call you." She said. And wanted to cry right then at how final that was.

"I don't care, I want you to have my number, you change your mind, you text me. Or call me. Right away." He said

"I can't do that, you know that."

"I know. But just in case, I don't wanna miss my chance." He said, punching the numbers in her phone and then she heard the phone in his jacket pocket ring. She looked over and started to shake her head. "Just so if you do call. I'll know who it is. I won't bother you, not ever. I promise."

He handed her the phone back. And she put it back in her purse.

"It's only five Carol." He looked over at her grinning. "We really can't go back to sleep. How about a shower?"

He didn't wait for her to answer, he pulled her up by the hand to stand with him and picked her up over his shoulder and carried her laughing into the bathroom.

/

Nineteen days had passed, nineteen long days. At first she thought of him all the time, she was miserable, but determined. Every day she thought of him a little less, at least she told herself that, and believed it. She had a daughter to protect and that's the way it was.

She couldn't have him, he would just always be a memory. If she saw him at Rick and Lori's they would pretend it never happened. They agreed on that. She didn't plan on that happening though. She could find excuses not to go to their house, she would think of something.

But on the morning of the nineteenth day, Ed said at breakfast that he was going out of town overnight on "Business". He hadn't bothered to mention it before, because it was for sure a lie. Sophia had a party to go to at Andrea's for her daughter Caroline, who was turning fourteen. Sophia was sleeping over.

So now she sat at her kitchen table, staring at her phone like it was going to give her the answer she sought that morning. Should she? Because if she did, she wouldn't be able to walk away again. She fought with herself.

 _She wanted to be happy._

He had probably deleted her number anyway. She was being stupid, It had been nineteen days. She picked up her phone and punched in two words anyway.

"Free tonight?"

And she sent it before she could change her mind, thinking now she'd watch and check her phone all day. It was going to be a long day, waiting for a reply she was sure wouldn't come.

When it chirped less than a minute later it startled her, she jumped a little in her seat.

She picked it up and unlocked it there was one word next to Lori's name.

 **YES.**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Danger ahead, warning. I have been told I write Carol and Daryl out of character and it's more like a damned romance novel then The Walking Dead.**

 **I don't care, that's why I write AU, so I can make them do my bidding like the puppet master I am.**

 **They are out of character especially in this story because I don't believe for one second Carol would ever cheat no matter what a dick Ed was. Nor do I think Daryl would sleep with a married woman.**

 **Or do what I just made him do. But this is so fun. Cue: evil laugh hahahahahahahaha.**

 **It's a good thing I don't own it right?**

 **AS Always Thank you for reading, reviewing, Fav, and following. I heart you all.**

"Carol right?"

He said looking up at her from the sand chair by the lake. Rick and Lori were next to him and Judith in the pack and play next to Lori, playing with some blocks. Carl was off with some friends, Sophia would go find him soon.

He held his hand up over his eyes to block the sun, and smiled at her. He also wore sunglasses, Carol thought they were real Ray Bans, or at least an excellent knock off. She was sure his eyes were twinkling behind those glasses like they always did when they were together. It was a good thing he had them on.

 _His eyes always burned into her and made her weak in the knees._

 _Now was not the time or place._

He had a baseball cap on backwards and board shorts on and he looked like some kind of skater kid. To her he was the answer to her prayers that she didn't even know she was saying.

 _He was hot. Even just sitting there looking at her, she was having trouble collecting her thoughts._

Sophia was next to her holding a towel, looking around for Carl.

She tried to keep her cool, but really she wanted to kill him for not telling her. Then she would have stayed home. He would have known that, though, so probably that's why he didn't tell her.

For the past three weeks they had been seeing each other every chance they got. He was at her house the day before, while Ed was at work and Sophia at camp, on his lunch break from work. He ended up calling in for the rest of the day to stay with her till three o'clock when she had to go get Sophia at camp.

They made the best use of the time they had. It wasn't much, but for now it would deal with it as best they could.

He didn't want to come to her house, but she was getting her lesson plans together for school and couldn't go out. School was starting at the end of August and she would have twenty five unruly seventh graders on her hands soon. There was no time to waste.

So he parked around the corner from her house and snuck in like a thief. He didn't care, she was worth it.

They made love in Carol's bed, he wasn't keen on that idea either. But she explained, they had separate rooms, for a long time. It was her bed and she had told him she wanted him in it. She was blushing just thinking about it now. Looking down at him sitting in the beach chair next to her closest friends.

"I remember you, from Memorial Day." He said.

They had just been together yesterday and he hadn't said he was coming with Rick and Lori for the fireworks. She wanted to be mad, but she just couldn't be mad at him.

Ed was coming up the dirt path that led to the lake as they spoke. She could hear his footsteps behind her and his huffing and puffing because this was not where he wanted to be. She didn't want him here either. But he insisted they do the family thing, for what reason she had no idea.

She didn't know how she was going to deal with this, but somehow she would. She was about to introduce her husband to her lover. How many women got to do that? No one she knew she supposed, might as well roll with it.

"What was your name again? Darren?" Carol said.

He smiled a smile so wide it almost blinded her and gave her a little snicker, so discrete that if you hadn't been looking at him you wouldn't see it. He had a great smile and it made her feel so wonderful, because it was all for her. He said she was the reason he smiled now, that he hadn't smiled for those nineteen days they were apart. She hadn't either, and they decided somehow they were going to make this work.

"Daryl." He said raising his head to her a little in acknowledgement. An upwards nod of his head.

"Oh right, Daryl." She nodded her head slowly, smiling. "Nice to see you again."

"Charmed." He said.

Ed walked up behind her carrying a bag of snacks and water bottles.

"What the fuck Carol, you left the chips at home. You're fuckin useless you know that?" He bellowed.

 _He wanted to jump up and punch him right in the face for talking to her like that, but he couldn't._

Daryl looked away from him and noticed Sophia rolling her eyes behind Carol's back, her father hadn't noticed. Sophia looked just like her mother and he supposed she had her mother's fiery personality.

Ed passed the bag of pretzels he held to her as Sophia moved behind her, Carl was somewhere here and she wanted to find him fast. Her father was being a dick already. He had already been drinking, but they had walked here anyway, this lake was about half a mile from her house.

Sophia knew her mother would never get in a car with him if he was drinking.

Ed Nodded to Rick and Lori. "Grimes."

"Oh Ed, this is my friend from college Daryl Dixon." Rick said.

Daryl stood up and shook his hand, because he wanted to. He wanted to shake Ed Peltier's hand in the worst way.

"Nice to meet you Ed." He said noticing that Carol's face was unchanging in that moment, she just watched the exchange between them. Daryl made eye contact with him and shook his hand like a gentleman. But his mind was playing a nice little game in his head.

 _I'm fucking you wife, the last time was yesterday, in your house, because you don't know what a treasure she is. You stupid bastard. Christmas morning was every day in your house, because she was there, and you were too stupid to nurture it._

"Yeah, sure, nice to meet you too, Whatever, I'm going to find the beer." He turned to Carol. "We aint staying long, if you aint ready to go when I want, I'm leaving both your asses here. You got it?"

He leaned over to Carol and handed her the bag he was carrying.

"Sophia wants to see the fireworks, Lori can drive us back if you don't want to stay ok Lori?" She said to him.

Lori nodded and Carol took a chance and looked at him. The look that passed over his face scared her. If things were different it looked like Daryl would punch Ed out, by the look on his face. He quickly got it under control she noticed. Good, because if Ed found out about this she could be at risk to lose Sophia. He wouldn't find out, she would not let that happen.

 _Just two more years._

"Fine whatever, pull that shirt on Carol, your stomach's showing, nobody wants to see that." Ed handed her the shirt he was holding.

And he walked away.

Sophia rolled her eyes. "He's such a dick mom, I'm going to find Carl." She looked around in search of her best friend.

Carol burst out laughing, and then everyone else did, because Sophia was right her father was a dick. And everybody knew it.

Daryl reached into the pack and play next to Lori and picked up Judith, and then turned back towards Carol. Her eyes were big and soft watching him hold the baby.

They wanted to be together, they had said that much to each other. They hadn't talked about the future though or how to accomplish that, not yet, but seeing him hold Judith made her heart melt. They would have to talk about it, sooner rather than later. But the last three weeks they had just been enjoying being back together. Enjoying it a lot, whenever they could.

Rick didn't know, neither did Lori. Daryl assured her that he didn't tell anyone. It had to be a secret.

"Sophia." Lori said. "I can't believe you said that."

"Mrs. Grimes, it's no secret, everyone knows Ed is a dick." Sophia said. '"I just spoke the truth. Can I go find Carl now mom?"

Carol nodded, hugging her daughter to her.

"Nice to meet you, Mr. Dixon." She said as she was leaving to go find the other kids her age.

She didn't call him Dad, Daryl noticed that, and she called Lori and Rick Mr. And Mrs. Grimes, him Mr. Dixon, a very polite girl. Carol was laughing as Sophia stomped off in search of Carl. This was going to be some Fourth of July. The fireworks had already started.

/

He had her pressed up against the building in the dark, the fireworks were going off over the lake and they could hear the music from the bandstand too. He was raining kisses on her forehead, her cheeks and her lips. Their bodies pressed up against each other. She had her arms at his waist and at the small of his back.

"This day sucked not being able to touch you." He said in between kisses. "I hate not being able to touch you."

"Serves you right for not telling me you were coming." She said as he was kissing down her neck. Her skin tasted so good to him and he was addicted.

"They invited me last minute and you never said you was coming here, I about dropped dead when I saw you coming up the path in that cute bikini top." He said running his hands over the front of her shirt. "And I couldn't touch you, so I'm gonna now."

"We have to go back soon." She said trying to get away from him and he pulled her closer, he was not having it.

He nodded. "I know, and for the record, you look hot in that bikini."

She laughed, that was when Ed had told her to cover up. She saw the anger flash through Daryl's eyes at the way Ed talked to her.

Ed had stayed exactly an hour then came to her holding his phone saying there was an emergency at work and he had to go. The emergency was named Jenny and she was his latest young Secretary.

He had elbowed Rick and said. "Too bad too, there's a whole bunch of young tail here to look at."

Rick just ignored him as he was feeding Judith her bottle. Nobody like Ed Peltier. He was glad the man was leaving.

"Five more minutes ok? Sophia is with Carl and Lori, she's fine, five more minutes ok?"

She nodded and allowed him to kiss her again.

/

Lori came around the corner after using the bathroom and stopped short. She couldn't believe it Carol and Daryl were over by the side of the building. He had one hand up over her head and one on her hip. Their foreheads close together as they whispered to each other. Her hands were around his waist and back, and she was making little circles with her fingers. Clearly to Lori they were very familiar with each other. His hands was on her back touching her bare skin. The looks between them were of two people very caught up in each other. There was no one else in their world at that moment. Lori's hand went up to her mouth.

 _Oh my God. She thought to herself._

Then he leaned in and kissed her, pulling her closer, but also moving her back against the wall. He was so pressed up against her it made Lori blush.

She mumbled oh shit to herself and went back to sit next to Rick.

"What's wrong Hun?" he asked when she returned all flustered.

She leaned over so Carl and Judith didn't hear. "I have to tell you something."


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: This is a story about an affair, there's lots of things that go along with that. Things like guilt and telling lies, that's the nature of what is. I'm trying to keep it realistic and entertaining, so these things may come up. If you don't like it please don't read.**

 **I'm entertained, that's for sure. I hope you are too. Sorry it's so short, but I wanted to get this out today. While I had time.**

 **PS: I am aware finding a hotel on a holiday weekend in a resort town on short notice isn't likely, but I want it my way. Lol.**

 **A BIG Thank you to Magenta's Nightmare for your unwavering support of all my crazy stories and if you don't read her stuff, go read it, like now. It's fabulous.**

"Sophia is going camping with Andrea this weekend, and the Girl Scout troop. She's troop Mom."

Carol was on the phone with Daryl on the Thursday before Labor Day, and she had been packing Sophia's bed roll as they talked on speaker. She had been afraid at first to skype with him or put him on speaker in case Ed ever came home. But she was right by the window so she kept watch and he had called her already and said he was going to the gym, so she felt safe. Sophia was at camp.

"Can you get away?"

"What?"

"We could go somewhere, anywhere you want for the weekend."

Her breath caught in her throat at the idea of having him for more than just a few hours. All summer they had been sneaking around and seeing each other for only a few hours at a time. Ed had no clue, not that he cared. But she knew Lori had some suspicions. It wasn't anything she could put her finger on, she never came out and asked, she just brought him up way too often in their conversations, as if Carol would come out and say,

 _Oh him, yeah we have a thing going on._

Maybe one day she would tell Lori. But not today. She almost told Andrea, but chickened out a few times.

Some weeks they couldn't see each other at all and that sucked. But it was, what it was.

A whole weekend, could she do that?

She wanted to, desperately.

"Where could we go?" She asked him.

"How about Savannah, it's far away enough so, you know..."

He meant they could actually go out in public together and not be afraid. She knew what he was trying to say, no looking around to make sure no one was around. No made up excuse in case they saw someone they knew, as to why they were both in the same place. No meeting in Barns and Noble just to see each other's face, when she could only get out for a few minutes.

 _They could even hold hands, like a real couple did._

She felt dizzy at the thought. Savannah was three hours or so away, Andrea was picking Sophia up at ten am on Friday. They couldn't take the same car, of course, in case there was an accident or something, but they could follow each other or meet there.

"I can take care of everything Carol, all you have to do is show up." He said and she was already nodding her head.

She didn't know how she was going to pull this off, but she was going to. She would tell Ed she was with Andrea that was simple. It was time to tell Andrea, just in case.

"I have to call Andrea before he gets home from the gym, do it, I'll text you later. " She said.

"Ok consider it done." He said.

"Ok text you later, and Daryl?'

"Yeah."

"I love you." And she hung up quick, they hadn't said that to each other, but she felt it. She knew he did too. At this moment though she was so overcome with the fact that he was doing this and rearranging his weekend to take her away, she just had to say it to him.

Daryl stared at the phone in his hand for a minute, she hung up before he could say it back. Did she thing he wouldn't say it back, or was she trying not to put pressure on him.

It didn't matter, he loved her totally and completely. He couldn't wait to say it back to her.

/

Carol left the house and walked five houses down to Andrea's house. Andrea was a single parent of one daughter, they had known each other since Caroline and Sophia were in first grade. They became fast friends and met for coffee once in a while. If Carol was asked who her best friend was Andrea would be it. She trusted her not to run her mouth to people about things. But she was still worried about being judged.

It was nice through the years, to have her so close.

She made no excuses for what she was doing. Not to herself or to Daryl, she knew what society thought of what they were doing. But she couldn't stop. That was the truth of it. It wasn't even about the sex, although that was dynamite, she had an emotional connection to him that she wanted all her life with someone.

They just met too late.

So she sat down in Andrea's kitchen, while Caroline and Sophia were at camp for the day and laid out her whole sorted double life to her, over two coffees and a fruit salad Andrea had made.

For her part Andrea didn't say one thing until she was done. She explained how she wanted to go away with him for the weekend, but had to be sure Andrea would keep Sophia at her house after the camping trip until Carol could come get her. She told her why she had to stay with Ed until Sophia was sixteen.

"So all summer you've been with this 27 year old guy, a friend of Rick Grimes'?" She asked.

Carol nodded, Andrea knew Rick and Lori, she sometimes dated Rick's partner Shane Walsh, but they were off right now. No hard feelings between them, they would probably work it out, they always did.

"He's 27? " She asked again. "When you do it you do it right don't ya?"

She laughed.

"Carol, I don't care what you do, if you thought I would judge you, then you don't know me very well." She said. "I'm a little impressed."

Carol blushed deeply.

"We all know what a douche Ed is, please I'm surprised you didn't get something on the side a long time ago." She winked.

"No it's not like that, I love him."

"Well, I'm sorry to hear that. Love makes you weak Carol, remember that." She said. "Be careful with your heart my friend."

/

She texted him later that day to tell him, Andrea was going to call her later when Ed was home and say she needed her to go on the camping trip. She could leave in the morning and wait for him in Savannah until her got out of work.

He texted back, the name of the hotel, and that he took half the day off, then added, _I love you._

 _That made her smile._

She committed all the info to memory and then deleted all the messages, like she always did. She hated deleting his I love you.

But it was, what it was.


	5. Chapter 5

Carol drove towards Savannah with a smile on her face. Sophia was safe with Andrea and Ed said he was working all weekend anyway and wouldn't need her there. Life was good today.

Ed, her biggest problem, her worst nightmare. She didn't want to think of him right now. Her role with him was to essentially be his slave. To cook and clean and do his laundry, fetch his beer and do his bidding. So whatever he was up to this weekend, he hadn't wanted her around. He didn't give her one bit of noise about not being home where she belonged. He hadn't even made any back handed comments about the state of the house. It was impeccable, you could eat off her floors. But he was never pleased and she was always wrong.

It wasn't always like that, she had loved him once upon a time, when she was young and naive. The attention of an older man when you are twenty two, well it can turn your head. And it did.

Soon he was bored with her after they were married. He said she didn't look the same since she had Sophia. She was old and her body disappointing. Once he stood behind her in a mirror and pointed out every single flaw he saw on her body. He wasn't physically abusive, but mentally? Well, the only joy she had until very recently was her work and her child. Not in that order.

He didn't love her, but she wasn't brainwashed enough to think she didn't deserve love. Not yet any way. She did, she wanted it and she was going to have it.

She wasn't kidding herself, she knew what people would think if they knew where she was going this weekend. Andrea aside, most people didn't love her like Andrea did. They would have plenty to say all day long if they knew. People like Lori, maybe. She could lose her job possibly, because she worked with children, a scandal could do that. She was a teacher. Entrusted with little souls, if any one knew, it could ruin her.

He was worth it, every bit and more.

As long as Sophia was safe.

Even at his very best Ed never made her feel like this man she was speeding towards, and that meant everything. If she believed in soulmates he would be hers.

If she believed in that.

He made her laugh, she hadn't known how much she missed that.

Something that simple.

Her phone rang, it was mounted on the dashboard next to her GPS that she had named Sally. That was another thing, he loved her favorite movie. He got it, _he got her._

The Nightmare Before Christmas, she had watched it with Sophia just this week. They watched it often as long as Ed wasn't home. She would love to watch it with Daryl and Sophia. Someday maybe, her thoughts trailed off.

She swiped Lori's name off her screen and said hello.

His voice filled the car. He phone was Bluetooth enabled and his gravely, sexy voice was filling her car and her heart.

"Are you on your way? I'm here already."

She smiled. His voice did things to her and she was trying to drive. She needed to get off the phone before she drove into a wall.

"I'll be there soon, Sally says in about 57 minutes." She said.

"I'll be counting every one of them till you're here sweetheart." He just set her blood on fire with those words. His voice was the sexiest thing she had ever heard. Better than any raspy grunge rock singer of the music she was so fond of. _Sorry Eddie, Kurt, Jacob,Billy._ She laughed to herself.

"Then let me drive and maybe it will be sooner." She laughed.

"Ok, see you soon, be careful driving." He said sweetly.

They said good bye and she felt tears sting her eyes. Be careful, he had told her to be careful.

Two words and she was reduced to tears.

 ** _No one ever said that to her._**

He parents were both dead and Sophia was a kid still, not knowing how fast life can change if you aren't careful.

Ed couldn't give a rat's ass if she lived or died.

He cared about her, and the realization knocked the wind right out of her. She would have pulled over to collect herself, but really she couldn't wait to see him.

00000000

55 minutes later she pulled in the parking lot of the hotel where they would be staying.

He stood there leaning up against his bike and she smiled, pulling into the parking spot next to him. He could take out on the bike this weekend. No one here knew them and she couldn't wait. But then he looked up at her, cigarette hanging out of his mouth and she decided the bike was going to have to wait.


	6. Chapter 6

_**A/N: The usual warnings for this story. Read at your own discretion.**_

The minute he took her in his arms all of the bad stuff she had been thinking was gone. He had that effect on her. She was pretty sure she had never been in love like this before. Just the sight of him put her at ease. She remembered a few weeks ago when she had been having an exceptionally bad day, they met behind a convenience store and as soon as she saw him, it was all better.

He made everything all better.

His hugs and the way he smelled. All she needed was to be in his arms and to breathe him in.

For him, he never intended to fall in love. That was not what he was looking for when he asked her to dinner that first time. But he was in deep now. His divorce had been the year before and it left him ambivalent about relationships. His ex-wife, Kelsey was a good person, it hadn't been her fault, or his. They were just too young and not at all suited to each other.

He was still young actually, but he knew what he wanted, what he had been missing and waiting for.

He didn't want anyone else now and wasn't that just his luck, she wasn't free to be his. But she was his this weekend, and he would take what he could get.

Someday he would talk to her about more, someday soon.

"Come on, let's bring your bag upstairs." He said helping her get her duffle bag out of the car.

He took her hand for the first time in public and led her into the hotel.

/

When they got to the door and he opened it and lead her inside she was awestruck. She had never seen a place like this.

The room was beautiful, with a huge king sized bed, topped with pillows and a thick comforter. A small sitting area and a balcony with a table and chairs that she was sure cost more than a month of her paychecks. This room cost him a fortune, she was sure.

This was for her? She couldn't believe it.

She looked in the sitting area again, there was a cart with a tea pot on it. She could see the steam rising up. There was a sugar bowl, honey and lemons. He had ordered room service.

"I thought you might want it, after the drive and all."

She turned and threw her arms around him pulling him close to her. She was not used to someone thinking about her, about what she would want.

"Thank you." She said breathlessly.

"It's just tea, sweetheart."

They walked over to the couch which was more comfortable than it looked. He poured her some tea, and took a sip from the water bottle that was on the table.

'I know you like it." He shrugged.

It had been a no brainer for him, making sure there was something here for her. Her appreciation showed him she wasn't used to that at all.

"You don't get it Daryl, it's not just tea." She said reaching for her tea and sipping it." I know you don't get it, you're just being you."

He nodded and watched her as she was smiling getting her tea ready.

She squeezed a couple drops from a lemon into her cup and reached for the honey on the tray. She lifted the spoon and drizzled it into the tea. She hadn't had honey in her tea in ages.

It was actually her favorite.

As she was bringing the spoon back to the cup of honey she missed and knocked it all over the tray.

"Oh, I'm sorry." She said trying to spoon it back in the cup. Ed would have had a fit over this. He would have called her a clumsy bitch and thrown everything away.

She looked at Daryl to see if he was mad at her. He never got mad at her for anything and God knew, he could have. Their whole relationship could make a different man mad, but not him.

"It's ok." He smiled. "Honey."

She laughed. But inside she was afraid he was mad at her for making a mess. She knew better of course, he wasn't like that, not like Ed.

Daryl laughed reaching for the spoon to help her knocking it out of her hand and getting honey all over both their fingers. He saw she was upset. Like the time he asked for her cellphone that very first time.

She was afraid sometimes and he didn't want her to feel that way with him.

He wanted to put her at ease.

"Oh. Look." He said swiping some of it on her cheek. "I made a mess too."

She scooted back, honey dripping off her fingers still. He just followed her scooting forward.

She went to touch his face back and he grabbed her wrist, gently, but preventing her from following through on her plan.

"Uh uh." He said staring at her, his eyes had grown dark, as he watched the honey dripping down her hand.

He looked at her and shrugged.

Very slowly and deliberately, looking right into her eyes. He licked her hand soft, and slow from her wrist over her thumb. Then down her thumb to her index finger, which he took into his mouth and sucked on. She fell back against the couch her eyes rolling around in her head.

He always made her dizzy. Sometimes just by the way he looked at her. But this? This was going to kill her, she was sure.

If that wasn't bad enough, he dipped his finger in the honey again and swiped it over her lip and then kissed her making sure to lick her lips.

"Mmmm, tastes good." He said, putting his forehead to hers.

She was breathing heavy trying to calm down. That might have been the sexiest experience of her life.

"There's a huge bathtub here, I can paint more of this on you and then we can go get clean."

She nodded slowly, a bath sounded just perfect right now. At one o'clock in the afternoon.

This was going to be some weekend.

/

She stepped into the tub and sat down leaning against him as he wrapped his arms around her. She settle down against his chest and let out a sigh of contentment. Before her marriage she hadn't had much experience at all, she had never been in a bathtub with a man before. She wasn't asking if he had done this before. She didn't want to know, in her mind it could just be both of their first times.

She moved around and got comfortable between his legs and pushed the soap suds out of the way. Her head was just below his shoulder and le leaned over and kissed the side of her head.

"I could stay here all day." She said.

He pulled her closer. This was a huge tub with enough water to almost cover them both, but he wanted her as close as possible.

"I know you were stressed, I could tell. This will help yeah?"

She nodded. It would more than help.

"Thank you."

He reached up and started to rub her shoulders, he really was perfect, wasn't he?

"Daryl, you don't have…."

"Shhhhhhhh." He whispered against the back of her head. "Just lay here and take it."

She nodded slowly and then he was lifting her and turning her around so he could rub her feet too. He did one and then the other, kissing each of her toes and looking at her through the curtain of his hair that was hanging over his eyes. He moved his hand through his hair, swiping it away with some water and then went right back to rubbing her foot.

She really couldn't believe she was in a bathtub getting her feet rubbed by a gorgeous man in a Friday afternoon.

Life really had a way of giving you unexpected things at just the right time, didn't it?


	7. Chapter 7

**_A/N: I have been to Savannah once and I did go to Mercer House. I'm making up the restaurant they go to and any other places possibly. The hotel is definitely a figment of my imagination, just like this story._**

 ** _Song lyrics to "Come to my Window." By Melissa Etheridge. Who I think is the bomb._**

 ** _I do not own TWD, and it's a shame._**

Carol laid on her stomach in the bed as twilight was starting to fall. She had fallen asleep along with Daryl after their bath. They decided to not rush at all this weekend, to do what they wanted, when they wanted. So they took a nap right after the bath, planning to go out to dinner after they woke up.

But he wasn't next to her, she could feel him at the foot of the bed. But she didn't know what he was doing. Then she felt him touching her foot. She rolled over intending to pull him up to her, but he wasn't having it. He shot her a look and rand his tongue over her toes. She giggled because it tickled in a really funny way. It excited her a little actually. This wasn't like other times when he tickled her.

"Come up here." She said to him and he shook his head and rose up on his knees, bringing her leg up too. He peered at her under wear and wiggled his eyebrows at her.

She was trying to get comfortable with intimacy. Letting him touch and move her body around, letting him look at her. She had never experienced that before, someone wanting to be so close with her. Daryl was playful with her and could draw so much out of her with his actions. It made her head spin sometimes.

He was so different, he made her feel so different.

He had been over every inch of her body practically, with his fingers and lips. It was like he worshipped her. He knew every dip and curve to her, every freckle. He adored her,

The things he did and the sounds he made only brought that clearer into her view.

 _It was different this time, for both of them._

Now he was licking her ankle, and it felt wonderful. She sighed in contentment as he moved up her leg but she couldn't let him do this. This wasn't the first time he had tried, but she always said no, no matter how much she might have wanted it.

He was running his hands over her thighs trying to relax her as he made his way up with his mouth.

She started to sit up and shake her head no.

"Please Carol..." He said with that caramel smooth voice of his that was so hard to resist. "I want to…"

She couldn't understand why he wanted this so much. He asked at least a few times a month in the last three months that they had been together. But she always stopped him.

She couldn't let him, there was something deep in her mind from Ed.

Ed told her she was disgusting and in all the time they had been married he had never gone down on her. He said it was gross. And worse he had said she was gross.

She had asked him once and his reply had been so hurtful, she never asked again. Then of course, it became so she didn't want him to touch her at all.

Her high school boyfriend before Ed and given it the college try but he really had no clue. If she had met Ed before him, that wouldn't even have happened.

Ed had destroyed every part of her self-esteem, the damage ran deep. She was no longer a sexual being when she met Daryl. That part of her was dead under Ed's boots. Stomped into the ground, by his hateful words.

It was slowly turning around, thanks to Daryl.

It would take her a long time to get over all the hang ups she had because of one man who was supposed to love her, but didn't.

And now the man who did love her had to deal with that. It wasn't fair to him but she couldn't help it.

He was still trying to get her let her knees drop by rubbing his hands further and further over her thighs. She was getting really uncomfortable because his face was almost right there. Then he was looking up at her and kissing her thigh.

"Carol, I promise you'll like this." He kissed her thigh again. "Promise."

He looked up at her with those beautiful eyes that she loved so much.

Her legs were shaking but it was from fear. He was still running his hands over her thighs slowly going higher. This was one thing that she was still so insecure about.

"I'm scared…." She murmured. "I…"

He moved up to her stomach and kissed her there reaching for her under wear, playing with the band of it. He did that sometimes, it didn't make her uncomfortable.

"You don't ever have to be scared with me, I'll never hurt you, not in any way."

She believed him, she really did.

"You really want to? I don't really understand."

He smiled at her then a really wicked smile that went right through her. He nodded his head, still giving her that smile that was half grin half smile.

"You will. You'll understand. In about two minutes." He rubbed her hips. "Close your eyes and just let me do everything."

She gave him a funny look, because she didn't understand at all. But she nodded her head any way.

She wanted to trust him.

"I really want this, and after today." He started moving his head down. "So will you, I swear."

She closed her eyes and put her head back, she couldn't look at him. She was too embarrassed. There were a million horrible scenarios going through her head at the moment.

She felt him touching outside of her underwear, he did that a lot to tease her, and she was used to that. It worked too, she groaned low in her chest.

Then she felt him do the same thing with his tongue, he made a sound of what she could only describe ad desire and longing, and she almost came off the bed.

Her body did some kind of gymnastic maneuver with only her arms and feet touching the bed. The rest of her was arched up and then back down. From one pass of his tongue, her body reacted in such an incredible way. She was already half out of her mind, and her heart was going to beat out of her chest too.

He really wanted this.

"You're ok." It wasn't a question it was a statement. "I've got you."

He dispatched with her underwear quickly and he was right back there. She heard him breathe deeply and she tried to pull back from him. She tried to sit up, but she couldn't, he had his hand on her stomach holding her where he wanted her.

"I love the way you smell Carol, its making my dick throb." He crooned to her and she felt butterflies taking flight in her stomach.

No one but him had ever talked to her this way before. It still drove her crazy every time.

He said the exact right thing to put her at ease because she totally relaxed. She allowed her legs to fall open then she felt his tongue on her. He was right, she liked it. She more than liked it. He never said 'I told you so' because he was a gentleman, but two orgasms later and her jumping on him after wards was proof enough that he was right.

/

They walked along the streets of Savannah hand in hand and it was the first time they could ever do that. They had never been out in public together before.

It felt so good. They rode the bike from the hotel by the ocean to the center of town and parked. They were looking for Mercer House. They both had seen the movie "Midnight in The Garden of Good and Evil". This was just another movie that they had in common.

When it came to movies they really were soulmates, just like in every other aspect of life.

Daryl was the only man she had ever met that liked "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo." Most men were really intimidated by that movie and its heroine Lisbeth Salander.

Daryl thought she was hot and so did Carol.

The story of 'Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil' took place in a mansion in the center of Savannah proper. They wanted to see the place and then they would go eat dinner.

They found Mercer House and stood there in the dark looking at it. There were no lights on in the house, it was all dark.

They really got each other. She thought again for the hundredth time, who else would take her here. Who else but him. She squeezed his hand as they stood there looking at a house where a murder happened, trying to think of how to be together for good.

If she was another kind of woman, she could solve this really easy. But she wasn't, as much as she wished she could be. Two years was a long time to wait. When she got home she was going to see a lawyer, she had decided.

Andrea knew a good one who specialized in custody battles. Her name was Michonne Williams.

When Carol had texted her to ask how Sophia was doing, she had asked Andrea if she knew of anyone.

They stopped at a little Italian restaurant not too far from Mercer House, although it could have been actually. They were walking and talking and so into each other and being together they might have walked miles.

It was so good to be able to go on a real date together.

They had a wonderful meal and walked back to the bike after. She held him tight as they rode back to the hotel. Every once in a while he would reach back and touch her thigh, sometimes rub it.

This was a good night and they had all of it, plus tomorrow and Sunday together. The longest time ever.

He made her so happy and she thought about a song she knew.

 _I don't care what they say, I don't care what they think. What do they know about this love anyway?_

He had given her something these past three months that she never thought she would ever have.

Hope.


	8. Chapter 8

**_What do they know about this love anyway? - Come to My Window by Melissa Etheridge_**

They woke up the next day holding each other. He was pressed up against her back with his arms around her waist and his hand on her breast. Carol was snuggled so close to him and she could feel his morning wood against her ass. He was so young and always ready it seemed to her. That was ok, she had read somewhere that a woman's sexual prime just happened to start at just her very age. She could keep up with him.

They were lucky indeed.

The age difference bothered her though, she had to be honest with herself. She was falling more in love with him by the day and she felt like he loved her just as much. They had told each other that weeks ago, but somehow she hadn't believed it possible.

He loved her? Really loved her, she had been with Ed all her life and her idea of what love was very screwed up. Her self-esteem was lacking but Daryl was putting it back together piece by piece.

He was so patient with her. He made her feel so good about herself and picked up on when she was feeling low. And he picked her up every time.

In her mind it was no longer a question of if they would be together, but when, and that wasn't soon enough for her.

What Daryl gave her when they were together, she knew she could never live without it again.

She wouldn't.

She dreamed of Sophia last night, they were walking along a beach together and Sophia was looking for her Dad. She kept asking Carol where he was as they made their way down the beach. They walked along the shoreline with their feet in the water, splashing the water at each other and laughing.

She held Sophia's hand swinging it back and forth like they always did and once more she said. "Where is he?"

Then she saw Daryl standing down the beach a ways and Sophia turned to her and said. "There he is." And took off running to him.

Carol must have been crying in her sleep, she woke up with tears on her cheeks and she knew why. That dream stayed with her even after she woke up, which was rare for her.

She dreamed a lot but never remembered them. But this one? She remembered it all.

And she had been crying for what she thought would never be. Two years was a long time, would he get tired of waiting.

She needed to see this Michonne person and find out what was what with custody of a minor in this state.

She wiped the tears away from her eyes and that movement woke him up. He gave her a long squeeze, pulling her against him, breathing her scent in, with total joy.

"I wanna wake up like this every day." He whispered in her ear.

She didn't answer him. But she did too, she just didn't know how to make that happen. He kissed her shoulder and she rolled over to face him.

"Me too." She finally said trying to hide her thoughts from him.

"You ok?" He asked, running his fingers through her hair and moving it out of her face.

She nodded. "I had a funny dream, that's all."

"A bad one?"

"No, not actually." She smiled at him.

"It's ok, you don't have to tell me, what do you want to do today?" He said putting his hand behind his ear and resting his head up on it to look at her. "Anything you want."

And he let it go, just like that. He was a good man, he never made her talk about things she didn't want to and he never forced her to do anything she didn't want to either.

She loved him completely.

"I don't know, are you hungry?" She asked.

He nodded. "Let's take a shower and then go eat, ok with you?"

And he was on his feet, not a stitch of clothing on and holding his hand out to her. She took it and followed him into the bathroom. She still wasn't used to walking around naked, but it was getting easier.

Daryl really liked what he saw, unlike her husband, and he made sure she knew it too.

He leaned over to turn the water in the shower on and he noticed she was looking in the mirror. He came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her.

"Why are you making that face?" He asked, kissing the back of her neck and she shook her head.

She was making that face because she wasn't sure about what she saw in the mirror. She looked like she didn't get enough sleep and that was also true.

Standing next to his youthful form made her realize yet again how much older she was.

He brought his hands up her stomach. "I think you're beautiful." He said rubbing her stomach and traveling up towards her breasts. She closed her eyes and leaned back against him as he palmed both of them and moaned into her ear.

He met her eyes in the mirror.

"I'll never get enough of you, if I live to be a hundred I'll always want to be just like this with you."

"You really mean that don't you." She said looking at both of them in the mirror.

"Of course I do, what did you think?" He didn't move his hands.

"I don't know, I have a daughter and this is so complicated."

"I'm ready for it, for all of it." He said. "I love a challenge especially when I know how sweet the reward will be."

He licked her neck, making her giggle and led her into the shower.

"I'm not going anywhere Carol." He whispered to her as the water flowed down over them and he pulled her close to him.

/

The street outside their hotel was like any street in small town USA and they walked hand in hand. There were other people walking around and it was a beautiful warm summer day. She was happy to be alive and to be with him. It was only the second day, they had so much more time together, before they had to separate and go back to reality.

They could still be in their little love bubble for a while more.

Andrea had sent her a picture of Sophia and Caroline swimming in the lake by their campsite. The two girls were soaking wet and clowning around for the camera.

Sophia was having a great time, she was safe and happy.

She showed him the picture as they walked down the street and started to relax from her worry and sadness over the dream.

Daryl would be a good father figure for Sophia and he didn't care how old she was. Carol had to get that through her head once and for all.

"I think she would like you." She said turning to Daryl as they walked. In her dream Sophia had called him Dad. She didn't even call Ed that. She called him father to his face and Ed behind his back.

Was it some kind of omen? A good one for once.

Yes, Daryl and Sophia would get along well. She smiled at the thought of someday introducing them to each other, they were very much alike. They would be great friends.

She had hope for the future for the first time in forever. Hope for a normal family life.

As they got to the door of the restaurant they were going to, she turned to place a little kiss on his cheek as he opened the door.

They stepped through the door, holding hands and whispering to each other in the way that only lovers did and walked smack into Lori and Rick Grimes, who were waiting for a table.

The two couples looked at each other for a beat. No one said a word, the shock was still echoing through everyone's brain.

Finally someone spoke and it was Rick. "Dude." He said, because he couldn't believe his eyes.

His best friend was holding hands with a married woman. Still no one said another word. Lori's mouth opened and then she closed it.

Daryl didn't let go of her hand.

"Ah, table for four?" Carol said as she felt her face turn red all the way up to her ears as Daryl squeezed her hand trying to reassure her.


	9. Chapter 9

_**A/N: Sorry for the wait, I just couldn't get my act together on this. Hope you enjoy though. Thank you for reading.**_

Lori and Carol immediately went to the bathroom after they were seated. Lori didn't even pretend to have to go, she just said 'come on' to Carol and they left the table. Carol expected one of Lori's sanctimonious lectures about marriage vows and duty but she went with her. She was fully prepared to tell her to mind her own business.

This had nothing to do with Lori, and if they argued about it, then working with her all school year was going to be hell.

Carol knew she was going to have to see her at work, in the teacher's lounge and Lori would know.

They should have known this would happen eventually and she wanted to kick herself right now. Obviously the whole state of Georgia was off limits to them going out in public together.

Thank god it hadn't been Ed and she shuddered at that thought. He never hit her, but she was sure he would if he ever knew about Daryl.

He would hit her for sure, because he was just always on that edge, she could tell that he wanted to.

He wanted to hit her and that was a scary thought. He kept himself in check, but he wanted to.

Ed might kill her if he knew, not because he loved her, because he didn't. Because she was his and nobody took what he saw as his. Nobody.

They got into the bathroom and Lori turned to her and actually surprised her.

"You look happy." And she hugged her awkwardly. "I'm glad, for both of you."

Carol stepped back not even hiding her surprise. This was not how she expected this to go. This was the first time they had been caught together. She expected Lori to click her tongue and judge her.

"I saw you on fourth of July practically swallowing each other by the bathrooms." Lori said.

"Wait, what?" Carol said. "You knew?"

Lori nodded. "It was an accident, but yes, I saw you two together, you looked happy. I'm glad for you."

"That's why you kept bringing him up?" Carol said "I knew it. Why didn't you just ask me? Does Rick know?"

"Now he does." Lori giggled. "I was going to tell him, but I didn't at the last minute."

Carol leaned against the sink.

"Figured that was for Daryl to tell him." Lori said.

"I forgot your mother lives here, does she have the kids?"

Lori nodded. "And what was I going to ask you anyway? Hey Carol are you sleeping with Daryl?"

Carol laughed and turned red. The mention of his name did that to her, which was inconvenient because Sophia's favorite show had a Daryl on it and she turned red every time Sophia mentioned him. Sophia thought her mother had a crush on the actor, who was kind of hot.

Well, he was really hot. But that wasn't the reason.

"You love him, don't you?" Lori asked.

Carol nodded.

"What are you going to do?"

Carol shrugged, she had no clue really, except wish these next two years flew by fast. That and see this lawyer Andrea told her about, as soon as she got back.

/

Rick and Daryl ordered drinks while they waited and Rick observed that Daryl ordered tea with lemon and two bags for Carol, like it was nothing. Like he knew her, and Rick supposed he did. They looked good together, that was the first thing Rick had noticed, after he recovered from the shock that was.

Now he knew why Daryl wouldn't go out on any of the blind dates he and their friends tried to set him up on. Shane had even said maybe he was gay, clearly not.

"So, you and Carol?" Rick asked.

Daryl nodded.

"How's that gonna work?" Rick said sitting back in the booth.

"Been working all summer."

Rick did a double take. "What?"

"Been seeing her since a little after Memorial day."

"You met her husband, you know what a dick he is, but you need to know, I think he could be dangerous if provoked. He fits the criteria of an abuser. You should know that from the jump."

"Already jumped brother." Daryl said.

"Yeah, I figured as much."

/

They had a truly nice lunch with Lori and Rick. They stayed for almost two hours and they invited them to their house for a barbeque the following weekend. It was surreal, they treated them like any other couple, yet they definitely weren't. They were a couple behind closed doors and away from home, it was sad really.

Carol didn't even know if she would be able to go. She was away this weekend and likely Ed would have a tantrum and make her stay home.

But they weren't letting those thoughts in till tomorrow, around five o'clock. This was their day, their weekend away from all of that. Running into Lori and Rick might have put a dark cloud over it but it didn't.

Carol found out at this particular lunch just what lengths Daryl would go to make sure she had a good time always.

All during lunch he had his hand on her leg and he was not shy about it at all. In about five seconds he had her face flushed and he could feel her tremble. She tried to swat his hand away because she was wearing a skirt but he would not be deterred.

Carol barely made it through lunch.

She was pretty sure Lori noticed, but Rick was too deep in conversation with Daryl to notice anything.

They had planned on going out somewhere on the bike after but now they had to stop back at the hotel room.

They said goodbye to them because Rick and Lori had to get back to her mother's house for a huge family gathering.

Daryl and Carol walked hand in hand down the street after lunch and they were heading back to the hotel in a little bit of a hurry. Actually the closer they got the faster they walked until they were almost running. At one point she almost tripped so they stopped and she took off her shoes.

She couldn't remember being as happy as she was in this very moment. She had happy times with Sophia but she never thought this part of her would come alive again.

He made her feel alive when she thought for sure she was dead.

They were practically running back to the hotel to make love. If anyone had told her six months ago this would happen she would have said there was no way in hell.

They were that couple that was kissing in the elevator at three in the afternoon, hugging and kissing because they could wait any longer, but no one was there to see.


	10. Chapter 10

_**A/N: I am so sorry this took so long. Life is crazy, thank you for hanging in with me and let me know what you think.**_

He opened the hotel room door and they both came through the door like the place was on fire. They couldn't get in there fast enough. Before he even shut the door he was pulling his shirt off and so was she. Then she was stepping out of her skirt and heading to the bathroom.

He shucked off his pants and stood there in his boxers watching her. He would never get tired of watching her. She was beautiful from her head to her toes and he was one lucky bastard.

She took off her bra tossing it over at him and it hit him in the side of the face. This was why he loved her so much, he never knew what she was going to do.

She turned in the door way and looked back at him giving him a little smile. "You coming or what."

Carol winked at him and walked in the bathroom, he was behind her in an instant with all his clothes off and his hands were roaming over her stomach. He pulled her back against him and she could feel how hard he was already.

"How's this." He said squeezing her against himself and lifting the hair off her neck to kiss behind her ear.

She wiggled out of his grasp and opened the shower door to turn on the water. Once it was hot enough she stepped inside under the water and let out a hum of pleasure. He stepped in behind her and got under the spray, wrapping his arms around her.

Daryl pulled her against him, both of them just enjoying the feel of the water on their bodies. They stayed like that a while and then her was kissing her neck.

He knew that she loved that he reached for the soap and lathered up his hands then handed the soap to her. He settled his hands on her belly and ran them over her slick skin, his mouth was still on her neck and she could feel his breath on her.

She never wanted to go back, if it wasn't for Sophia she wouldn't. Daryl was her life now and she wouldn't be without him.

"Sweetheart." He said as his hands were traveling down her body. "I want you to close your eyes and relax into me."

She allowed her head to fall back into him and rest against his shoulder.

"I can tell you're thinking and I don't want you thinking right now, just feeling." He whispered as his tongue made its way down her neck. She let out a sigh of complete and utter pleasure. "Just think about me and you. For just a little while longer."

His hands traveled lower and he smiled against her ear as her breath hitched. Between his voice and being in the shower with him. She was on fire and he was moving his hands slow on purpose, she knew it.

"Daryl, stop teasing me." She said knowing he would have her beg, he got off on it.

"Tell me what you want Carol. "He whispered to her while running his tongue over the shell of her ear.

She squirmed trying to move his hand lower where she wanted it.

"Tell me. Carol and I'll give it to you." He sucked on her ear. "Do you wanna come?"

She nodded, her breath coming out in bursts now. She took his hand in hers moving it lower. He swiped his fingers over her and she sucked in her breath. His other hand found her breast and was gently squeezing her.

"That what you want." He said biting lightly on her earlobe. "You wanna come Carol."

"Yes." She moaned. "Please."

He swiped his fingers over her again and then stopped. Her shoulders slumped down in disappointment. He was such a tease sometimes but she had learned that it made it so much better.

Sometimes he would tease her to the point where she was practically crying from frustration and then boom. He'd give her a mind blower of and orgasm, she trusted him and liked when he controlled her like this.

"Say it Carol." He licked from the back of her ear down her neck.

It was so much for her, the feeling of his soapy hands on her breasts now rubbing her nipples. In the short time they had been together he had totally learned her as if it was his life's work.

He knew how far to push and when to pull back until she was out of her mind. Then he would whisper dirty things to her and make her say them to him.

She leaned back and kissed him. "I want it, make me come, then give me your cock."

She smiled when she heard him grunt out loud at her words. Then He reached down holding her snug against his strong body. One hand across her chest not leaving her and with the other he lifted her leg to rest her foot on the bathtub.

Her legs were spread and in an instant he was down between her legs and licking her until she cried out loud. She fell back against the wall unable to hold herself up. He picked her up and held her around her knees and entered her letting out a groan.

Carol never had sex in a shower before, he was young and strong and he held her up without any effort at all. Twenty six made her the happiest woman on earth and she thought again how she almost didn't see him again.

She had taken a chance for the first time in her life and it changed her. Everything about her.

/

They stood out on the balcony as Daryl smoked a cigarette later on that night. It was getting dark out and she was thinking about what happened next. They had to leave tomorrow afternoon and go back to the real world and she knew it was time to do something.

They had known each other three months.

"I'm going to call Andrea's friend."

He looked up, the cigarette dangling from his lips. "Really?"

"I can't do it anymore, I want to be free." She said. "I like being out with you, like real couples do. Going out with you and not being afraid."

He took the cigarette out of his mouth and stamped it out under his foot.

"Carol, I swear we can do this, you just tell me what you need."

"I'm going to call Andrea's friend on Monday and make an appointment."

He nodded.

"I think Sophia will be ok. I really do." She went into his arms. "You'll love us both, I know you will and you won't hurt us."

He rubbed his hands over her back.

"I have to get her away from him before he explodes. I know he wants to hurt me, maybe he suspects, I don't know and I don't want to find out."

"Carol, I promise to keep both of you safe."

/

Tuesday afternoon at one pm Carol sat down in front of the Mahogany desk of Michonne Williams. She told her the story and what her situation was. She paid a retainer of 2500.00 that Daryl had given her and now she was on her way to a divorce.

Michonne advised her to stay in the house if she could, but not to put herself or Sophia in danger. They could go to Andrea's if they needed to Andrea had said as much the night before.

She had a plan now and it felt good and as she drove to Sophia's school to pick her up she smiled for the first time in a long while.


	11. Chapter 11

**_A/N: This took me a long time and I'm sorry. I hope everyone enjoys this chapter. Let me know._**

Daryl didn't like the idea of Carol staying in the house and when she called him after seeing Ms. Williams he pleaded with her to go to Andrea's. He would have happily had them come to him, but Carol had put the brakes on that idea over the weekend.

He had asked her to move in with him on Sunday before they left Savannah. She said no and kissed him hard for even offering, it was the nicest thing anyone had ever done for her.

Of course it was him who did it too. But she couldn't do that.

It was one thing to upset Sophia's world in one way, with the divorce, but she wasn't moving them in with him and totally sending the child over the edge.

He knew that, it was just wishful thinking, but he was greedy now. He was used to not seeing her often and the thought of being able to see her more was thrilling.

They had gone three and a half weeks over the summer in which they didn't see each other at all. They could barely text because Ed was on vacation and was watching her like a hawk. She had even worried that he had known something was up with them after July Fourth.

Ed wasn't at the lake that day for very long, but she worried that he had picked up a vibe from them. There were some feelings you couldn't hide, they came out all over the place. Maybe the feelings she and Daryl had for each other leaked out that day. She couldn't be sure what he noticed.

So for those three weeks he was off, Carol went radio silent on Daryl for most of that time.

That would never happen again now. They could see so much more of each other, Michonne had told her that Ed would have to have video tape of her shooting drugs to get Sophia. The courts always sided with the mother unless she was a danger to the child.

He also wouldn't be able to enforce visitation if Sophia didn't want to go.

All music to Carol's ears, today was a good day.

They discussed it as she sat in the parking lot at Sophia's school and finally he was honest with her, a jealous enraged man was no one to play with. He had lived with that for the first half of his life.

He was afraid Ed would hurt her and then he told her about his mother.

His father had killed her, because he thought she was cheating, which she wasn't, but she was still dead. His father had done it when Daryl was fifteen and he had been in prison for it for many years. He died there and Daryl's only brother was back in North Carolina.

They barely spoke now that he had moved to Georgia, Merle had raised him when the old man went to prison. Merle did the best he could, but he tended to take after the old man, drinking and running around with women.

Daryl was not about that life. He wanted better, whatever that was, sometimes he didn't know what he wanted, but that wasn't it.

Daryl had gone away to college and tried to get away from that life. He met Rick at school, they kept in touch and then one day he went to a barbeque at his house and fell in love.

Carol understood his fear and she made the call to Andrea and then called Daryl back to reassure him. She and Sophia would go to Andrea's that night.

He stood in the garage where he worked and thanked her for understanding. She always understood him and that was how he knew she was the one.

He never had one hundred percent acceptance from anyone, not even his ex-wife. He never had a woman who valued his opinion before either.

She listened to him, valued him and that was better than just about anything he had ever had before.

They hung up and agreed to text later because Carol was now about to do the hardest thing she had ever done in her life.

She was going to tell her daughter that their lives were about to change. She got out of the car, grabbed her wallet and walked towards the school.

/

Carol took Sophia out for ice cream after school and her daughter was not stupid. She knew there was something going on and she waited until they sat down with their ice cream to ask. Her mother didn't usually pick her up from school, only for doctor apointments. Ed wouldn't have it and it was only the first week of school.

There would be hell to pay if he found out, never mind the signing out, but ice cream too? Ed would have a conniption if he found out, and he always found out.

Sophia would wait her out and she what she said. She was not a child to panic easily. The whole summer had been odd, her mother not herself. She was almost used to it now.

This was odd too, but chocolate chip mint was chocolate chip mint and she was out of school an hour earlier that usual.

Sophia was a happy girl usually, but she picked up on people's cues. She was observant and she just knew there was something up.

She liked ice cream just as much as the next kid but this was out of character, because her mother was happy. Really happy.

Something changed, and whatever it was, made her mother smile and that was rare indeed.

"What's going on Mom?" She asked.

"Sophia, I don't want to upset you." Carol said. "But I have to talk to you."

"Did someone die?" She asked, but she knew that wasn't it, her mother would never smile if someone died.

"I don't know how to tell you this." Carol started to say.

"What, what." Sophia's voice went up with each word she spoke. Her mother being sketchy was upsetting her a little now. But something told her this wasn't a bad thing that her mother wanted to tell her.

"I'm divorcing your father." Carol blurted out.

Sophia looked at her, at first Carol thought she was going to cry, but then she broke into a huge smile. Finally, finally it was happening Sophia sighed, no more Ed and his bullshit. She could get up and dance right now.

"Are we moving?"

Carol nodded. "At first I was going to try and stay, but, um a friend talked me into going to Andrea's."

"What friend?" Sophia asked.

Carol could have told her it was Andrea's idea, but she never lied to her daughter ever and she would not start now. She hadn't planned on telling her about Daryl and her but it looked like that was going to happen.

"Mom?" Sophia looked at her, she was almost fourteen and savvy for a girl her age. "Is it a man?"

Carol nodded and she looked directly into Sophia's eyes, willing herself not to cry. Her daughter would never look at her the same again when she knew about the affair.

"That explains it." Sophia said.

Now it was Carol's turn to ask questions.

"Explains what?"

"You've been different, happy all summer long. I just thought you were happy to be off from work."

"No, that wasn't it."

"Mom, Ed doesn't love us, he doesn't love you. Does this man love you?"

She nodded. "He does."

"And you love him, I can see it now. That's what's different about you."

They went silent for a few minutes Carol wondering where to take the conversation next. They were going to Andrea's after this and Ed was being served the papers in the morning. He was out of town tonight, lucky for Carol. All the stars seemed to align just right for her, this one time.

She felt like a total bitch for leaving while he was out of town but it was better that way.

"When can I meet him?"

Carol gulped, damn this was hard. Sophia already knew him and if she remembered him from Fourth of July, he had been dressed like a surfer kid that day.

In fact he dressed like what he was, a twenty seven year old. Now it was time to tell her daughter and be more than reminded of the age gap between them.

"Um, Sophia do you remember Mr. Grimes' friend from Fourth of July?"

Sophia's eyes got wide. "Uncle Daryl?"

Carol laughed then, Sophia was surprised but not angry or disgusted, which Carol was afraid of. She even smiled a little.

"That's what Carl calls him, he isn't really his uncle." She said scooping up some ice cream like this was no big deal right now.

Carol nodded. "I know."

"Wow Mom."

"Are you ok, Sophia, I know this is…" Carol said reaching across the table to touch her hand.

"He would never hurt you right." Sophia said looking at her mother.

Carol shook her head. "Never."

"Carl says he's the shit." Sophia said giggling now.

"I'm sorry Sophia."

"What are you sorry for? Ed is an asshole to you and to me, I see the way he looks at you when your back is turned. All angry, like he wants to hurt you. Like he's forcing himself not to. You don't need to be sorry for anything mom." Sophia said. "I'm not even kidding right now."

They finished their ice cream and left to go start their new life.

/

Carol had taken a leave of absence for the first marking period of school to get their lives together. She drove Sophia back and forth to school every day and then she and Daryl would go to breakfast before he went to work.

She knew she should be at least a little careful going out with him in public. But they were nowhere near her house or Ed.

Ed had not contacted her, except the first day to tell her he was changing the locks if she wanted this divorce so badly. She had gotten most of her things and Sophia's out of the house the day he was gone.

She left a lot of things behind because they only had the one night to clear stuff out.

The next day when he got the papers he called her and he told her he was burning the rest of their things. He told her not to come near the house or he would kill her and she believed him.

So she stayed far away, and he never called Sophia.

"Come to dinner tonight, Andrea said she's making meatloaf and mashed potatoes."

Daryl looked up from his coffee cup, his eyes searching hers.

"Are you sure."

She nodded. "Andrea wants to meet you, and Sophia wants to see you."


	12. Chapter 12

Carol and Andrea worked together in the kitchen cooking as Sophia, Caroline and Daryl played X box in the living room. Carol could hear them yelling and the sounds of the game all carried into the kitchen. As Andrea stirred the pot of sauce she looked over at Carol who was making garlic bread.

"I like him, he's so good with the kids." Andrea said with a smile on her face.

"Because he is one." Carol laughed. "But he's my kid."

She grinned as she wrapped the bread in foil and opened the oven to put it in. His youth and excitement was so endearing to her.

"I have never seen you smile like this. He's the one isn't he?"

She hadn't been looking to fall in love but here it was. In such a short time he had become such an important part of her life. He was right now bonding with Sophia in a way that was shocking to Carol.

He had changed her life.

"Are you going to marry him?"

"If he asks." She smiled. "But let's not get too far ahead here, I'm still married."

"Yeah as if that was a marriage, listen, I know that you want to set a good example for Sophia and that's why you put up with what you put up with. To protect her. But she needs to see what love really is. The way he looks at you, the way you are together, that's what she needs to see."

Carol leaned against the counter and listened to Andrea and knew she was right. She stayed for her own reasons with Ed. To keep him from getting Sophia alone, but in turn she was showing Sophia how to settle for second best.

Never again.

"I have a feeling Andrea, that good things are in store now for Sophia and I. Thank you for taking us in."

"Don't be silly, Carol." Andrea crossed the kitchen and hugged her. "You're my best friend, we girls got to stick together, right?"

"Sophia is so excited to be with Caroline all the time." Carol said. "So thank you."

Just as they finished speaking Caroline and Sophia came into the kitchen like gangbusters looking for something to drink all giggles and smiles.

"Mom, he's just awesome." Sophia gasped out as Caroline opened the refrigerator door to get out iced tea for them. She pulled out three cans of Brisk Iced tea and then both girls turned to their mothers. "He kicks ass at Tomb Raider and that's a girl game."

"He said he doesn't give a… damn." Caroline smiled because they all knew that wasn't what he said. "He said it isn't just for girls."

"Daryl said he would take me on the bike if you say it's ok." Sophia said excitedly.

"Sure." Carol said, and Sophia's face lit up like she hadn't seen in such a long time. She threw her arms around Carol and hugged her so tight.

"Thanks Mom." She said and ran back towards the living room yelling "She said yes, Daryl, she said yes."

Caroline turned to Andrea and she nodded her head. Caroline gave her a quick kiss. "I love you Mom." and took off with the three cans of soda.

Carol and Andrea were still leaning against the counter and they just looked at each other and smiled.

All those months of worry and sneaking around had all be worth for this moment. She had tried to push him away. The thought of that now was almost too much to bear. If he was another man he wouldn't have answered her text, he would have told her to fuck off.

But he wasn't an Ed, he was so different and her life was going to start today.

/

Carol and Daryl sat on Andrea's front porch that night after dinner and Andrea had taken the girls for ice cream so they could have a few minutes alone. The walk to the ice cream place was less than five minutes, but it was always crowded. Jeffrey's had the best ice cream ever and everyone went there. The lines were still long even though it was fall.

There was soft music coming from inside the house and the night was clear and bright. Carol was softly singing to 'Amber' by 311

"What's your favorite band Carol." He asked taking her hand and holding it to his lips.

She looked over at him and smiled. There was so much more to learn about each other and it was going to be so fun.

"I like reggae type bands, OAR, Bob Marley, 311, Sublime, Badfish." He said. "I've seen Badfish like ten times."

"I would love to see them, I saw OAR, Melissa Etheridge and Aerosmith before I got married, then you know…"

He squeezed her hand. "We're going to go to a lot of concerts together, Sophia never went to one?"

She shook her head. "I almost saw 311 twice but each time something came up and we couldn't go."

"311 is coming here next month, you want me to get tickets?" He asked and she smiled that smile that made him fall in love all over again with her. "Andrea and Caroline can come too."

"You are amazing." She said. "Where did you come from, hmm?"

"Decatur." He said smiling at her and she bumped her shoulder into his.

"You know what I mean, you have made such a difference in my life." Carol said. "And I think Sophia's too."

He turned sideways in the swing and looked at her.

"Do you have any idea how lonely I was before we met?"

She shook her head.

"I know I didn't really ever tell you much about my life before I moved here, but even before that." He said to her quietly. "My ex was a nice person and so was I. I was sure it was going to last because of that, but it didn't and it wasn't either of out faults."

He touched her hair and pushed it behind her ear.

"But, I know now that I wasn't in love with her." He leaned in and kissed her. "And she wasn't in love with me, and I was so lonely. You know Rick invited me to the party because I didn't know anyone."

"And then you picked me up in the grocery store."

"Bravest moment of my life." He said.

"Daryl, do you think they wanted us to meet? Rick and Lori."

He shrugged. "I guess it's possible, Rick was always hinting around all year, asking if I had a girl. But…"

"It's just so..."

"I'm just going to ask him next time, seems so coincidental, looking back, you know."

"You let me know how that goes."

He took her hand. "It doesn't even matter, what matters is we are here, together now."


	13. Chapter 13

_**A/N: This is the last chapter, I struggled with how to end this and I hope I did it justice. I enjoyed writing this because it was so different . Thank you to everyone who read and left me love. I love you all xxxxxxx Krissy**_

They went to five concerts that summer and Carol and Sophia lived with Andrea for a year while the divorce was going through. In that time, she and Daryl stopped hiding behind closed doors and in hotel rooms. Once he had passed the Sophia test that was all she needed. They didn't live together but they didn't keep secret what they had.

Sophia adjusted well to another man in the picture and she and Carolina kept him busy playing video games when he had time.

At first it looked like she would be divorced in five or six months but Ed found out about Daryl. He never made a move to get visitation with Sophia and signed that away from the jump, but he wouldn't sign the divorce papers.

Ed dragged his feet because by the time they met with the lawyers again he had found out Carol wanted to get married again.

Daryl had proposed to her and Sophia at Christmas time, seven months after they had first met. It was snowing out, that night, which was a rare thing in Georgia. They had been sitting around an outside fire with all their friends in Rick and Lori's back yard. Andrea knew what he was going to do, because he had asked her before he even bought the ring if it was bad timing.

Andrea gave him the thumbs up because the timing really didn't matter when you loved each other the way they did.

They were all drinking hot chocolate and eating s'mores and it was one of the best nights they could remember, even before he did what he did. Lori and Rick watched as he stood up and had his hand in his pocket, Lori's eyes went wide and she hit Rick in the side when she figured out what was going on.

Daryl got down on one knee before Carol and Sophia and asked them to marry him. Carol started crying and Sophia looked like a kid on Christmas morning. He pledged to love them both for the rest of his life if they would do him the great honor to marry him.

They both said yes and he slipped an alexandrite ring on her finger. That was her birthstone and she had admired it the week before when they had been in the store buying a necklace for Sophia for Christmas.

He went back and bought the ring the next day.

Ed dragged it out for spite because he couldn't do anything else. She wasn't fighting him for the house or any money and she had a right to, because they had been married for over ten years. That was commonly referred to in legal terms as Half Time, meaning she could go for half of everything. He was pissed she was re-marrying, and doubly pissed when he found out who it was and how old he was.

Finally, the next fall her divorce went through.

They had found a house the summer before and were fixing it up slowly and both Carol and Sophia were back at school.

There would be no more children, they both felt that Sophia had been through enough and needed all their attention and she was at the age where they could spend a lot of time together. They didn't have to worry about diapers and formula and babysitters and that was a wonderful thing.

They were openly together, in front of all of their friends and out in public. They were no longer a dirty little secret.


End file.
